CONTENTS 0. The Premise of the Study and Hypothesis 01 The idea that forms the starting point for exploration in the study is that the phenomenon of Durga Puja in the city of Kolkata is a thoughtful negotiation of a Religious Festival and a Public Event. Intrinsic to the study is the enquiry related to the aspect of time that generates a temporal festival space. PART 1. Understanding the Durga Puja Phenomenon History and Document of the Contemporary Puja 1.1 History of Durga Puja in context of the Public and the Domestic 05 In the Indian context, the public sphere has been shaped by an active and sometimes, conflicting interaction between the two spheres, the Public and the Domestic or Private. To understand the particularity of the public sphere formed by the festival of Durga Puja in Bengal, the historical description of the festival adopts this dichotomous mode of discussion. 1.1.1 Traditions of the region 07 1.1.2 Inception of Durga Puja 1.1.3 A private spectacle of the affluent families 1.1.4 Introduction of the Baroari Puja 1.1.5 The Sarbajanin/ Community Puja 1.1.6 Trend of Theme Pujas 1.1.7 The Contemporary Para 1.2 Document of the Contemporary Puja Phenomenon 15 The structure or system of the contemporary Durga Puja celebration is based on a basic pattern of a postulated sequence of events. The purpose of this part of the study is to demonstrate the basic pattern and consequently to demonstrate the development of the basic pattern into the rich variety of celebrations in the city. Underlying this, the study intends to bring to the surface the network of relationships emanating from the multiplicity, at the same time, the overall coherence in the celebrations. 1.2.1 The Act of Celebration 16 Generic Form/ Basic Model of the Celebration 1.2.1 a) Public Realm as a Process Neighbourhood/ Ownership Belonging/ People 17 involved/ Sponsorship Budget/ Scale 1.2.1 b) The re-actualized House of the Goddess, Spatial Organization and Physical Space 1.2.1 c) Staging of Special Behaviour 1.2.1 d) Sequence of Rituals 1.2.2 Range / Types 27 Individual Specialties and Variations discussed in terms of the aspects of the Generic Form. 1.2.1 a) Household Puja 29 Case Study Shobhabazaar Rajbari 1.2.1 b) Sarbajanin/ Community Puja 37 Case Study Bagbazaar Sarbajanin 1.2.1 c) Community Puja/ Public Place/ Lighting 47 Case Study College Square 1.2.1 d) Theme Puja 59 Case Study 1 Nalin Sarkar Street Case Study 2 Suruchi Sangha Parallel Example 1 Naktala Udayan Sangha Parallel Example 2 41 Pally, Haridevpur Parallel Example 3 Bosepukur, Sitala Mandir Parallel Example 4 Talbagan, Bosepukur Parallel Example 5 Badamtala, Ashar Sangha 1.2.1 e) Para Puja 98 PART 2. Characterizing the Tradition of Celebration Evolving the Method, Developing Tools for Analysis 2.1 The Sacred Public Dialectic 109 The concepts of the Sacred and the Public are not dual in nature. They are complementary entities. 2.2 The Sacred and its Spatiality 111 How does a Sacred Space get defined? Associations and Identity Ideas/ Concepts, Physical or Spatial/ Architectural Characteristics 2.3 The Expression of the Public 123 How does a Public Space get defined? Associations and Identity Ideas/ Concepts, Physical or Spatial/ Architectural Characteristics. Ideas are explored first through a general understanding of the Public Sphere in contemporary thought and then through an understanding of the Public Sphere in the Indian context. PART 3. Viewing the Architectural Expression of the Contemporary Durga Puja Through the Evolved Method, Interpretations and Conclusions 3.1 The Phenomenon 131 This part of the study attempts to present a critique of the phenomenon of the contemporary Durga Puja in context of the Sacred and the Public. The phenomenon of Durga Puja is not merely a dramatic form of social processes, but also a cultural system of symbols that is structured as an integral part of the Bengali society. 3.2 Identity of a Sacred Space 135 The Durga Puja Phenomenon, in the midst of differences and with the available tools of representation, has the ability to establish the basic schema of a Sacred Space. 3.3 Identity of a Public Sphere/ Space 152 The identity of Durga Puja as a Public Sphere/ Space becomes apparent from the visible characteristics of a Public sphere in the festival space. Concluding Note 163 Glossary 165 Illustration Credits 167 Bibliography 168 Acknowledgements 170